The marketing world is a constant whirlwind of new ideas and strategies. But who has the time to keep up, especially us busy working mums juggling a million priorities? Fear not, fellow marketing warriors (or aspiring ones)! This curated list offers 26 of the best marketing books to elevate your charity’s strategies and conquer your goals in 2024.
Dive into storytelling with Donald Miller's "Building a StoryBrand" or master the art of influence with Robert Cialdini's classic, "Influence." Want to understand customer behaviour? Check out "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely or "Surrounded by Idiots" by Thomas Erikson.
Short on time? Many of these gems are available as audiobooks, making your commute or school run a learning opportunity.
This list offers a diverse range of perspectives, from content marketing and branding to digital strategies and persuasion tactics helping your charity to thrive online. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting out, you'll find valuable insights to propel your marketing mastery!
At a glance:
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller
This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See by Seth Godin
Marketing Made Simple: A Step-by-Step StoryBrand Guide for Any Business by Donald Miller
Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications by Sarah Durham
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Digital Marketing Strategy: An Integrated Approach to Online Marketing by Simon Kingsnorth
Read Me: 10 Lessons for Writing Great Copy by Roger Horberry, Gyles Lingwood
Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes by Katya Andresen
Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Customers by Seth Godin
This one is my favourite, and inspires a lot of my own work: Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller unveils a powerful framework based on universal storytelling principles. This book helps you craft a clear, compelling message that positions your customers as the hero of their own journey, with your brand acting as their trusted guide. By following Miller's proven method, you can learn to connect with your audience on an emotional level, overcome their challenges, and ultimately drive sales the perfect book for any charity looking to refine their brand messaging.
Marketing is more than just tactics and tricks. In This Is Marketing, Seth Godin challenges traditional marketing approaches. He argues that true marketing is about empathy, understanding your audience's needs, and creating something remarkable that resonates with them. This book focuses on building trust and permission with your audience, helping you become a leader in your field and attract a loyal following.
Ever wonder why certain apps and products become ingrained in our daily routines? "Hooked" by Nir Eyal dives into the psychology of habit formation, revealing a four-step model companies use to create products that keep users coming back for more. By understanding the "Hook Model," you'll learn how to design engaging experiences that trigger user desires, solve their problems, and ultimately build lasting loyalty for your charity’s product or service.
This down-to-earth handbook bypasses expensive tactics and focuses on creative, low-cost strategies to build powerful support for your cause. Packed with practical tips, real-world examples, and checklists, The Nonprofit Marketing Guide equips you to stretch your resources and achieve high-impact results. Learn to leverage the power of storytelling, build relationships with your audience, and turn your nonprofit into a fundraising force – all on a shoestring budget.
The Science of Selling by David Hoffeld is a book that takes a data-driven approach to sales. It dives into research from neuroscience, social psychology, and behavioural economics to explain how people make buying decisions. Hoffeld then uses this knowledge to provide salespeople with techniques for crafting pitches, influencing customers, and ultimately closing deals.
Do you ever think you're the only one making any sense? In "Surrounded by Idiots," Thomas Erikson tackles the frustration of miscommunication. Erikson argues that the key to better understanding others lies in recognizing four basic behavioural types: Reds (direct and dominant), Yellows (optimistic and social), Greens (easy-going and friendly), and Blues (analytical and precise). The book offers a framework for identifying these types and adjusting your communication style to connect with each one more effectively. It aims to help you navigate difficult personalities and improve your interactions in all areas of life, from work to relationships.
Stuck in marketing mud? Marketing Made Simple offers a clear path out. This guide by Donald Miller, based on his popular StoryBrand framework – which I mention above at number one on this list, helps you turn your marketing into a compelling story that connects with customers. Learn to craft a message that resonates, build a sales funnel that works, and watch your business flourish.
Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications by Sarah Durham
This book goes beyond traditional fundraising tactics. It shows you how to leverage the power of communications and marketing to build a strong brand identity, attract donors, and ultimately raise more money for your cause. Brandraising equips you with practical strategies for crafting compelling messaging, developing effective campaigns, and engaging your audience. Learn to transform your communications into a fundraising powerhouse and make a lasting impact with your nonprofit.
In Predictably Irrational, behavioural economist Dan Ariely challenges the idea that we make decisions solely through logic. Through entertaining anecdotes and surprising experiments, Ariely reveals how emotions, expectations, and social norms subtly influence our choices. You'll learn why a cheap aspirin might not work as well as an expensive one, and how the way things are framed can significantly impact our decisions.
The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries is a classic guide to building strong brands. It cuts through the complexities of marketing, offering 22 key principles for creating a brand that stands out in a crowded marketplace. The book uses real-world examples of successful brands like Coca-Cola and Volvo to illustrate these principles, which include the importance of owning a category, focusing on a single-minded message, and maintaining brand consistency over time. Whether you're launching a new business or looking to revitalize an existing brand, this book provides valuable insights for achieving long-term brand success.
Ever wonder why you can't put down your phone? Hooked explains why some products become habits we can't break. Author Nir Eyal reveals a simple 4-step model used by apps and games to keep you coming back for more. Learn how to design products you'll love using everyday examples from Twitter to fitness trackers. Great for anyone who wants to understand technology's hold on us!
Drowning in marketing fluff? Tired of spending hours on plans that go nowhere? "The 1-Page Marketing Plan" cuts through the complexity and teaches you to craft a powerful marketing strategy on a single sheet of paper. This book by Allan Dib is your shortcut to getting new customers, boosting profits, and leaving the competition in the dust. It's marketing made simple, fast, and profitable.
Do you ever wonder why people say yes to some requests and shut down others? Robert Cialdini's "Influence, New and Expanded" is your key to unlocking the secrets of persuasion psychology. This international bestseller, packed with new research and insights, will turn you into a master persuader. Learn the universal principles that influence how people think, and how to ethically apply them to get the "yes" you deserve. "Influence" is your guide to becoming a more effective communicator and protecting yourself from manipulative tactics. It's persuasion power made easy.
Are visitors leaving in frustration or happily converting into customers? "Don't Make Me Think, Revisited" by Steve Krug cuts through the jargon and teaches you to design websites that are crystal clear and user-friendly. This common-sense approach will have you ditching the fancy features that confuse and embracing the intuitive design that gets results. Based on real-world usability testing, this book is your handbook for creating websites that don't make users think – they just get it. It's web usability made easy.
Feeling like your online content is just, well, meh? Think writing well is reserved for a chosen few? Everybody Writes throws that myth out the window. This book by marketing pro Ann Hadley shows you how anyone can craft content that's not just good, it's ridiculously good. Packed with practical tips and real-world examples, Everybody Writes will turn you into a content marketing master, armed with the skills to tell captivating stories and write like a champ.
Stuck in social media purgatory with a follower count that makes tumbleweeds jealous? One Million Followers is your escape hatch to online fame! Digital guru Brendan Kane, spills his secrets for building a massive social following in a crazy short time (30 days, to be exact!). This updated edition gives you the latest tips and tricks to craft killer content, engage your audience, and become a social media leader.
This book reimagines the way nonprofits operate in today's connected world. It shows you how to leverage social technologies to build networks, collaborate with others, and drive positive change. The Networked Nonprofit equips you with practical steps to harness the potential of social media for fundraising, advocacy, and amplifying your mission's impact. It's your guide to becoming a more networked, effective, and change-making organiation.
Marketing mojo missing? Using Behavioural Science in Marketing unlocks the customer brain. Learn science-backed tricks to boost engagement and sales, just like Apple and Spotify. Get ready to ditch the guesswork and win with psychology!
Feeling lost in the marketing jungle? Marketing Management Essentials is your compass. This self-learning guide by Callie Daum breaks down marketing fundamentals, strategy, and customer relationships. Learn the ropes, from core concepts to practical tools, and become a marketing whiz – no degree required!
Made to Stick will transform how you communicate. Learn how to craft ideas that grab attention, spark action, and truly stick. Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath unveils the secrets of memorable messages. They identify key traits that make ideas "sticky" and linger in the mind. This book takes you on a journey through catchy slogans, scientific breakthroughs, and even a shocking hoax to reveal the power of these principles.
This bestselling book offers a clear and practical framework for building a winning online presence. Learn how to integrate essential tactics like SEO, social media, content marketing, and analytics to achieve measurable results and reach your business goals. Packed with case studies and checklists, Digital Marketing Strategy equips you to navigate the ever-evolving digital world and become a marketing mastermind.
Struggling to craft clear, compelling copy? Read Me by Roger Horberry and Gyles Lingwood is your writing rocket fuel. This ten-lesson course, designed by award-winning copywriters, explodes the myth that great copywriting is a secret art. Packed with practical techniques, inspiring examples, and exercises to test your skills, Read Me will transform you into a persuasive writing pro. Learn to find your brand's voice, captivate your audience, and craft copy that truly connects.
Forget bake sales and charity car washes! Robin Hood Marketing by Katya Andresen challenges nonprofits to ditch outdated methods. This book is your guide to "stealing" the best marketing strategies from the for-profit world and adapting them to champion your cause. Andresen, a veteran marketer turned nonprofit pro, equips you with ten essential rules for crafting winning campaigns. Learn to target your audience effectively, develop a strong message, and leverage media relations – all with the goal of securing donations and making a real difference. Robin Hood Marketing is your blueprint to becoming a fundraising hero, one ethically borrowed marketing tactic at a time.
This book challenges traditional marketing tactics and shows you how to win customers by creating truly epic content. Learn to craft stories that resonate, establish yourself as an industry expert, and attract a loyal following – all without resorting to intrusive sales pitches. Packed with practical strategies and distribution tips, Epic Content Marketing will turn you into a content creator extraordinaire, ready to break through the clutter and win with high-value content.
Tired of bombarding people with ads? Permission Marketing by Seth Godin offers a revolutionary approach. This marketing approach flips the script, showing you how to build relationships instead of interrupting consumers. Learn to attract ideal customers by providing valuable content and earning their trust. Permission Marketing will transform strangers into friends, friends into loyal fans, and fans into happy customers. It's a win-win for your brand and your audience.
Stuck in a traditional sales rut? They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan flips the script. This revised and updated guide challenges outdated methods and proposes a revolutionary inbound approach. Sheridan reveals the power of content marketing that answers your customers' questions directly. Become a trusted resource, attract qualified leads, and watch your sales soar. Packed with practical tactics and proven strategies, They Ask, You Answer will transform your marketing mindset and turn you into an inbound sales and content marketing master.
Level Up Your Marketing Game: Own Your 2024 Success!
Bookmark this list and use it as your personalized roadmap to marketing mastery! Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, there's a book (or two!) here to fuel your marketing fire.
Want to take action now? Pick a book that aligns with your specific goals, dive in, and start learning. Remember, consistent learning is key to staying ahead of the curve.
Stay tuned for more marketing tips and tricks! Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for bite-sized daily insights to help you make your digital presence shine.
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